Dedication drives Warren to recover health

Dot Warren, 78, has inspired those around her to maintain healthy lifestyles, through her role as a Weight Watchers leaders, for more than 30 years. (T-G Photo by Sadie Fowler) [Click to enlarge] [Order this photo]

"I thought, this is it for me, I won't be able to do it anymore," Dot said. "But somehow I found enough willpower in me to keep going. I said, 'I have got to be able to walk again.'"

What Dot feared she wouldn't "be able to do" anymore is the one thing in her life that keeps her -- and many others -- healthy, motivated and happy.

For the last 30 or so years, Dot has inspired hundreds of area women through her efforts as a Weight Watchers leader. Her dedication to the program -- which keeps Dot and those around her healthy -- is what inspired her to move past her hip injury and get back to her role as a leader.

Yes, she is 78 years old.

"I refused to sit down and be miserable," she said. "Life is good. My motivation to get better was getting back to my groups. I couldn't desert them."

Dot's story with the weight loss program began 32 years ago, when she joined the group to lose weight. She lost 65 pounds through the program, which focuses on portion control and healthy, realistic food plans -- and exercise -- to provide long-term weight control.

"It took me a year to lose my weight," she said. "My problem was candy bars and cokes ... and it took me a long time to realize that there are eight slices in a pie."

Dot, who started out with one group a week, has been a group leader ever since she got her weight off 31 years ago. When the company for which she worked closed its doors, Dot was able to devote more time to being a weight loss leader. After her husband passed away 12 years ago, she found herself leading even more groups; she currently leads about nine groups a week, between Bedford, Marshall and Rutherford Counties.

"When I first started, it was really because no one else wanted to do it (lead the group which she was a member of)," she said. "I didn't really think I could do it, but I wanted to keep the group going. I was scared to talk in front of people ... but I finally said, 'Dot, you've got to step up to the plate and do this.'"

Over the years, this self-motivating lady has watched the lives of many women change within the comfortable and supportive walls of her weight loss groups, like Cindy Tapley.

"She cares way down deep for people's lives and most of all their health," Tapley said. "I have been an active member for over 20 years because of her ... she is awesome."

Dot spoke of a professor in Murfreesboro who's lost 128 pounds through the program, down to a size 10-12 from a 32.

"Her whole life has changed," said Dot, who said the program teaches skills that last a lifetime.

Then, there's the woman in her 30s who came to her first meetings using a walker. So far, she's lost 47 pounds and no longer needs to use the walker to get on the scale to weigh herself.

One lady, also in her 30s, has lost enough weight to enjoy playing with her children again.

There's also the 12-year-old boy who is dedicated to the program so that he can play on the football team with other boys his age.

"I'm not rich from this job, but I have made millions in rewards from seeing people change their lives," Dot said. "It's not just getting a body that looks good, it's getting a body that feels good ... There are so many people who have lost more than 100 pounds."

And it's not just about the younger folks.

Dot says it's essential for older people to stay on top of their health; for them to watch what they eat, and exercise. One older lady came to the group to lose 15 pounds so she could fit into her clothes again, because she couldn't afford new ones. Now, she comes to meetings every week.

"We are all like a family," she said. "We are friends. We help each other and looking forward to meeting with each other ... Together we can do anything we want to."

Dot says too many older people give up on their health.

"My advice is that you're only as old as you feel," she said. "When you retire, you need to find something to do. If you sit there with the remote in your hand you're going to gain weight, and the more weight you gain the worse you're going to feel. We are what we eat."

Dot says the reason her weight loss program works for so many people is because it is not a quick fix diet. The program focuses on regular food, prepared healthier, and portion control.

"You can do quick fixes and lose weight, but you can't maintain it ... and surgeries don't work," she said. "You have to learn how to eat."

So what's next for Dot?

"People will ask me, 'Dot, when are you going to slow down?' and I tell them 'when God tells me to,'" she said. "But as long as he gives me the strength I'm going to do this ... I'm so blessed. Not only is my health good, but I have a job, at 78, that I love. I look forward to living every day."